Controlled synthesis of LaPO₄ and CePO₄ nanorods/nanowires

LaPO₄ and CePO₄ nanorods/nanowires with controlled aspect ratios have been successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal microemulsion method under mild conditions. It has been shown that the obtained LaPO₄ has a monoclinic structure, while CePO₄ exists in the hexagonal structure. Uniform nanorods/nanowires with diameters of 20-60 nm and lengths ranging from several hundreds of nanometres to several micrometres were obtained. The aspect ratios of the obtained ID nanostructures can be fine-tuned by simply changing the [H₂O]/[surfactant] molar ratios. The possible growth mechanism of LaPO₄ and CePO₄ nanorods/nanowires was explored in detail.